The present invention relates to large area surface cleaning tools, and more particularly relates to large area surface cleaning tools for suctioning both dust and debris from a surface.
It is well known that vacuum cleaners employ various types of cleaning tools or attachments each specifically designed to clean a particular type, shape or size of surface. For instance, large area surface cleaning tools are designed specifically for cleaning large surface areas, such as floors, and the like. Such large area surface cleaning tools include a housing with a suctioning bottom opening having a large cross-sectional area, with the bottom opening being defined by a perimeter wall. The bottom edge of the perimeter wall may be flat or may be ridged, or may comprise downwardly extending brush bristles or rubber squeegees in the case of wet vacuum tools. In any case, in use, the bottom edge of the peripheral wall remains generally in close proximity to the floor in order to maintain a suctioning force sufficient enough to urge dust on the surface being cleaned into the interior of the housing of the large area surface cleaning tool.
An elongate wand is either permanently or removably connected in suctioning relation to the housing, which elongate wand has an internal passageway having a significantly smaller cross-sectional area than the large cross-sectional area of the bottom opening of the large area surface cleaning tool.
There are several inter-related design factors to be considered in the design of a vacuum cleaner and the specific tools that are used with it, such as large area surface cleaning tools. In general, vacuum cleaners and their tools are designed to pick up dust, debris, litter, and so on, quickly and powerfully, in order to maximize vacuuming effectiveness, including minimizing the time spent vacuuming.
In order to maximize vacuuming effectiveness, the airflow (measured in volume of air per unit time) and the suction (typically measured by the height of a column of water that can be raised) generated by the suctioning unit must be optimized. However, it is well known that suctioning units that have high air flow tend to have less than ideal suction capability, and suctioning units that have high suction tend to have less than ideal air flow. Accordingly, even for powerful industrial type vacuum cleaners, the practical limits for air flow and suction are easily reached. Therefore, the cleaning capability of a vacuum cleaner""s tools is correspondingly limited. Moreover, fine particulate filters that are incorporated into many modern vacuum cleaners can filter only so much air per unit time, thus providing yet another barrier to maximizing the effectiveness of a vacuum cleaner by merely increasing the airflow and suction.
In the specific case of large area surface cleaning tools, it is well known they should be as wide as possible in order to permit vacuuming of an area as quickly as possible. Further, due to the above discussed air flow and suction limitations, they should be quite narrow in depth from front to back in order to minimize the cross-sectional area of the suctioning bottom opening. Even with a narrow as practical depth from front to back, large area surface cleaning tools have a maximum width of about two feet.
Another necessary consideration is that there is also a maximum overall space between the tool and the floor in order to maintain sufficient airflow and suctioning into the interior of the tool. If this maximum overall space is exceeded, the airflow and suction will be too low to cause effective cleaning. Accordingly, many surface cleaning tools are made to suction only fine debris, such as dust and other fine particulate matter.
However, when using such a large area surface cleaning tool to vacuum a large generally flat surface such as a floor, it is common to encounter small pieces of debris, especially when cleaning shop floors and in industrial situations such as warehouse floors. These small pieces of debris are too large to pass between the bottom edge of a surface cleaning tool and the surface being cleaned, even though the debris may be small enough to be suctioned up by the vacuum cleaner, and are merely pushed around the surface by the large area surface cleaning tool. In order to suction these larger pieces of debris, the large area surface cleaning tool must be lifted up off the surface and then be accurately set down directly onto the debris and the bottom edge of the peripheral wall of the housing must again come into close proximity with the surface being cleaned in order to establish sufficient airflow to urge the debris into the inlet end of the elongate wand. This method is highly undesirable, especially in industrial situations, where the large area surface cleaning tools are heavy. Also, such lifting of a large area surface cleaning tool must typically be done with two hands, even though generally pushing it around can be accomplished with one hand.
Alternatively, some floor tools have small gaps between their bottom edge and the surface being cleaned, which gaps permit the suctioning of small debris, such as sawdust and small woodchips and the like, but not larger debris. However, such gaps are included at the sacrifice of width of the tool by virtue of compromised vacuum and air flow to the outer ends of the tool. Still, it is necessary to lift up the tool and set it back down in order to pick up large debris.
Furthermore, large area surface cleaning tools often have another significant drawback. They may be too narrow from front to back to suction debris between the front and back portions of the perimeter wall. This relationship is even narrower in the case of wet vacuum tools. In this case, the suctioning hose that connects to the wand can be separated from the elongate wand and the user can bend down and suction up debris directly with the hose. However, this is also highly undesirable since it is labour intensive and time consuming.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a large area surface cleaning tool that permits suctioning of both dust and debris from a surface without having to pick up the head and set it down onto debris.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a large area surface cleaning tool that permits suctioning of both dust and debris from a surface while manipulating the tool with one hand.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a large area surface cleaning tool that permits suctioning of both dust and debris from a surface without separating the tool from a suctioning hose.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a large area surface cleaning tool that permits suctioning of both dust and debris from a surface with increased effectiveness and efficiency.
It is yet another object of the present intention to provide a large area surface cleaning tool wherein debris is not suctioned through the suctioning bottom opening of the housing of the large area surface cleaning tool.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is disclosed a novel floor cleaning apparatus for suctioning both dust and debris from a surface being cleaned. The floor cleaning apparatus comprises a housing having a surface facing peripheral bottom edge defining a bottom plane, and having a suctioning bottom opening surrounded by the peripheral bottom edge. In use, the suctioning bottom opening is in dust suctioning relation to the surface being cleaned when the surface facing peripheral bottom edge is adjacent the surface being cleaned. An elongate wand has an inlet disposed in dust and debris suctioning relation with respect to the suctioning bottom opening, and connected in fluid communication via an airflow passageway to an outlet disposed in dust and debris transfer relation with a vacuum source. A debris pick-up duct has a debris inlet situated adjacent to and at least partially above the bottom plane and exteriorly to the peripheral bottom edge of the housing, and a debris outlet in debris transfer relation with the vacuum source. A valve means is mounted for operative engagement with the debris pick-up duct for movement between a dust suctioning configuration whereat substantially all of the airflow to the vacuum source passes through the suctioning bottom opening of the housing and a debris suctioning configuration whereat substantially all of the airflow to the vacuum source passes through the debris pick-up duct. In use, the debris inlet is in debris receiving relation with respect to the surface being cleaned when the surface facing peripheral bottom edge of the housing is adjacent the surface being cleaned.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is disclosed a novel floor cleaning apparatus for suctioning both dust and debris from a surface being cleaned. The floor cleaning apparatus comprises a housing having a surface facing peripheral bottom edge defining a bottom plane, and having a suctioning bottom opening surrounded by the peripheral bottom edge. In use, the suctioning bottom opening is in dust suctioning relation to the surface being cleaned when the surface facing peripheral bottom edge is adjacent the surface being cleaned. An elongate wand has an inlet disposed in dust and debris suctioning relation with respect to the suctioning bottom opening and connected in fluid communication via an airflow passageway to an outlet in dust and debris transfer relation with a vacuum source. A debris pick-up duct has a debris inlet situated adjacent to and at least partially above the bottom plane and exteriorly to the peripheral bottom edge of the housing, and a debris outlet in debris transfer relation with the vacuum source. A valve means is mounted for operative engagement with the debris pick-up duct for movement between a dust suctioning configuration whereat the majority of the airflow to the vacuum source passes through the suctioning bottom opening of the housing and a debris suctioning configuration whereat more airflow to the vacuum source passes through the debris pick-up duct than in the dust suctioning configuration, and wherein the valve means is biased to the dust suctioning configuration. In user the debris inlet is in debris receiving relation with respect to the surface being cleaned when the surface facing peripheral bottom edge of the housing is adjacent the surface being cleaned.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is disclosed a novel floor cleaning apparatus for suctioning both dust and debris from a surface being cleaned. The floor cleaning apparatus comprises a housing having a surface facing peripheral bottom edge defining a bottom plane, and having a suctioning bottom opening surrounded by the peripheral bottom edge. In use, the suctioning bottom opening is in dust suctioning relation to the surface being cleaned when the surface facing peripheral bottom edge is adjacent the surface being cleaned. An elongate wand has an inlet disposed in dust and debris suctioning relation with respect to the suctioning bottom opening and connected via an airflow passageway having a general cross-sectional area to an outlet disposed in dust and debris transfer relation with a vacuum source. A debris pick-up duct has a debris inlet situated adjacent to and at least partially above the bottom plane and exteriorly to the peripheral bottom edge of the housing, and a debris outlet in debris transfer relation with the vacuum source. The debris inlet has a cross-sectional area greater than one-third of the general cross-sectional area of the elongate wand. In use, the debris inlet is in debris receiving relation with respect to the surface being cleaned when the surface facing peripheral bottom edge of the housing is adjacent the surface being cleaned.
Other advantages, features and characteristics of the present invention, as well as methods of operation and functions of the related elements of the structure, and the combination of parts and economies of manufacture, will become more apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description and the appended claims with reference to the accompanying drawings, the latter of which is briefly described hereinbelow.